Hotel Bohinj Revitalized, sustainability and tradition

By Editorial Staff - 13 August 2021

Hotel Bohinj (formerly Hotel Kompas) is located in Triglav National Park and rests on a plateau. The structure enjoys breathtaking views of Lake Bohinj, glorious mountains and the angelic church of Janez Krstnik. The new owners of the hotel, Merlak investicije and Alpinia employed OFIS architects to plan its sustainable renovation, including new structural reinforcement and interior design.

An extensive and elaborate renovation

The basic volume of the building was preserved with a new structural envelope of wooden framework. A new wooden framework supports the original volume with larch wood cladding allowing the hotel to blend into nature. The entrance façade is accompanied by a new, grand double-height lobby, an elegant entrance canopy and cozy restaurant.

The common areas include the two-level entrance lobby, a restaurant and breakfast room, retro-bistro, small congress hall, and club with a wine shop. Larch wood is the main material of the walls, furniture and ceiling. Custom designed chairs, benches, curtains, upholstery, and lights fill the hotel. Careful attention to local and vernacular tradition is seen in all of the details. Floors in common areas are a terrace of light grey and large black stones lead to the entrance and the hotel lobby.

Large black stones lead to the entrance and the hotel lobby. These are symbolic of the famous Mr. Max, the hotel’s fabled black cat. The silhouette of the four brave men who were the first to conquer Triglav, Slovenian’s highest mountain, is depicted on fabrics, glass and walls along the hotel. A red thread throughout the hotel represents their journey — this is a celebrated historical achievement and Triglav represents a prominent part of Bohinj’s identity. Careful attention to local and vernacular tradition is seen in all of the details.

The interior consists of sixty-nine rooms of varying sizes, from double, triple to family rooms with panoramic windows and balcony. The rooms have a modest local inspiration with patterns, textures and furniture details. The new overall massing created opportunities for new balconies for the rooms with views of the beautiful backdrop of the mountain tops.

Committed to coesisting with nature

The hotel has a small wellness center with a heated outdoor pool and guests can also swim in nearby Lake Bohinj. The former pool was converted into a luxurious space for social gatherings with a large fireplace. The new hotel owners requested that OFIS architects make sustainability one of the focuses of the renovation. When planning, the strict rules of efficient energy use were taken into account. The grounds carefully used indigenous plantings, exterior lighting of the hotel was restrained, and heat pumps provide the sustainable heat source.

Because the hotel renovation was focused on sustainability, planning followed the rules of energy efficiency. Heat pumps provide the heat source. In common areas and in some rooms, there is radiant floor heating or heating and cooling. The hotel has central control, which also regulates the quantity of heating and cooling. All lighting is based on energy-saving LED technology with sensors. All built-in equipment is in the lowest classes in terms of consumption. All of these green efforts are important because Hotel Bohinj is committed to coexisting with nature and all of the inhabitants of Triglav National Park.